Amy Stewart, author of Girl Waits with Gun, this year’s One Book, One Wallingford title, will visit Wallingford on May 15. Photos courtesy of amystewart.com
On Wednesday, February 6, the Wallingford Public Library (WPL) announced the featured novel of its One Book, One Wallingford program this year, the book Girl Waits with Gun, by Amy Stewart. Through multiple events and programs in the near future, Wallingford residents will have the opportunity to read and discuss the book as a community.
Girl Waits with Gun is based on true events, following the story of a woman named Constance Kopp in 1914. Kopp does not align with the conventional roles of women in the time period — she rejects domestic work and has no interest in marriage. After a man crashes into her buggy, Kopp demands he pay her for the damages. The man refuses, but Kopp is persistent. The man continues to bully and threaten her, and soon Kopp befriends a local sheriff who wants her to find justice. The novel ultimately highlights Kopp’s journey in becoming one of the United States’s first woman sheriffs, and it celebrates her ability to remain resilient when faced with injustice.
The book was selected by the WPL committee after a collaborative process in reviewing a variety of books. When the committee met, members threw out ideas and book recommendations. “We keep certain criteria in mind when we’re reviewing books. We look at the book’s literary quality; we look at whether or not it will promote thought-provoking discussions and related programs,” explained Ms. Julie Rio, the Head of Adult Programming at the WPL. “And then we also look at if it is reflective of universal issues and will it appeal to a diverse population.” For the committee, Girl Waits with Gun fit all the criteria they were looking for.
The availability of the author is another important factor in the book selection. Each One Book, One Wallingford program ends with a visit from the author to answer questions and sign copies of their work. Luckily for the WPL, author Amy Stewart was available to leave her home in Portland, Oregon, to visit Wallingford.
For the five weeks leading up to the book reveal, the WPL held a contest to see if anyone could guess the novel’s title, posting clues on their website and social media pages every Wednesday. These clues included that the novel is based on a true story, that the book is being developed into a series by an online streaming service, and that the author is the co-owner of a bookstore. Ms. Rio said, “There were some people who did guess correctly. At the reveal, they were entered into a drawing, and one lucky woman won a free copy of the book.”
About 35 community members attended the One Book, One Wallingford reveal at the WPL. Ms. Rio explained that many were anxiously waiting for the book choice after seeing the clues on social media and the website. After the title-reveal, librarians played a video featuring Amy Stewart, in which the author expressed her gratitude and excitement that her book had been selected. In addition, the WPL announced future special events related to the book.
The upcoming programs and events cover a wide variety of topics, including discussions on female detectives, a session on caring for and training pigeons, and a visit from a graphoanalysist — someone who studies strokes of handwriting to determine the personality and traits of a writer.
Last year, the final program was held at Choate’s Paul Mellon Arts Center, but this year the program will be held at Sheehan High School. Ms. Rio explained that, because it is a community event, the library “wanted to involve other aspects and places in the community.” Amy Stewart’s visit will take place at 7:00 p.m. on May 15. Tickets are free of charge and can be picked up at the WPL.
All discussions and events are open to the public, even those who have not read the book. “They are related to themes of the book,” Ms. Rio explained. “They are related to things that happened in the book, but if you’ve never read the book and you come to one of the programs, I guarantee you’ll be informed and entertained.”
